The Introduction recounts some of the inspirations for this game, the chief being Robert Graves's I, Claudius and Claudius the God novels, brought to the TV as a mini-series 35 years ago... just when I was taking a classical literature course in high school and discovering the pleasures of Roman history! Based in an alterate history world, this game aims to recreate the intrigue, adventure and mystery of the Roman Empire in its heyday, a heady mix to explore.

Chapter 1: Servants of Gaius goes into more detail of what the game entails. Set in Rome, the core concept is that something threatens the well-being of the Empire and of Caligula the Emperor, and the characters are tasked to deal with it... once they have discovered what it is! City-based intrigue and investigation come to the fore, although the ruleset is suited to any activities in any part of the Roman Empire if such is preferred. History paints Caligula as a self-indulgent cruel madman, but no: he was a great Emperor and indeed a god! Who would not flock to his service, seek to defend him from all ills? With a brief overview of this core plot, the discussion moves on to an outline of the game mechanics, based on those used in other Bedrock Games games - the Network System - but modified to suit this particular game. The core mechanic involves a dice pool of d10s, rolled against a target number (or another dice pool if the attempted action is being opposed by someone else). The number of dice rolled depends on how skilled you are at whatever you are trying to do, and the highest number rolled is compared to the target to determine success or failure. That explained, we hear about the general things that will have to be considered as you create your character and prepare to get to grips with Ancient Rome. This includes matters that may jar against modern minds, a fairly rigid class system and a tendency to view males and females as different. The game has been written according to generally accepted historical principles of what is known of the attitudes of Roman society - but naturally it is up to your group to decide just how historically accurate you want to be.

Next, Chapter 2: Character Creation dives right in to the detailed process as introduced in the overview last chapter. Most works by allocation of skill points, the number you have depending on the Social Class you choose once you have decided on age and gender. You will need to decide what your primary and secondary skills are, as well as a wealth of detail showing just where your character sits within society - the priviliges and obligations of the chosen class, starting money, ancestry, occupation, religion and so on. The chapter then goes into detail on each stage, beginning with a discussion on Roman names and the complicated way in which each individual had a whole string of names. This is followed by the simplified class structure suggested for the game, in which there are but five social classes ranging from Senators to slaves. Each have their advantages and disadvantages, and your choice will depend on what the game master has in mind as well as what sort of character you are thinking of playing. There's a complex system of titles - normally, starting characters will not have a title but may earn one by their efforts during play, but if preferred more experienced characters can be created who already have a title or two.

Skills, which are pivotal in determining what each character can do, come in six groups: Defence, Combat, Knowledge, Specialist, Physical, and Mental. Most are pretty obvious, but Defence is used to protect you against attempts to influence you mentally as well as against physical attack. Moreover, unlike other skills, you do not roll them, instead they provide the target numbers that others need to roll against to attack you. Then follows detailed discussion of every skill available, including notes on when and how you might want to use it. Characters unskilled in an area are not precluded from having a go, they roll 2d10 and take the lower roll as the result. As well as 'mundane' skills, magic works in this reality, and there are a range of magical skills that may be taken based around divination, ritual and sorcery. The first two are perfectly acceptable in polite society. Note that there are no 'attributes' per se, everything is mediated via the skills you choose for your character. For those who want to specialise, to be particularly good at a given area of a skill, there is the option to spend extra points to gain an Expertise, which gives you an extra 1d10 to roll when appropriate.

Another interesting feature is the way in which Allies are handled. Roman tradition includes a network of Patrons and Clients, where those of higher status or wealth took others under their wing. Both parties incur benefits and obligations from the relationship, and each character starts out with a single Ally although he can gain more in the course of play. It is also bound up with Auctoritas, the system whereby you exert influence, gain favours and so on. Starting characters have zero Auctoritas and this develops as he gains experience and renown. A Patron should have more Auctoritas than his Clients. Characters may also select Vices, disadvantages that add to role-playing potential and garner extra skill points.

Next comes Chapter 3: Equipment. It starts with currency and typical wages for different occupations. Next weapons and armour are discussed. Unlike many games, they are not easy to get - only if your occupation is Soldier or Gladiator will you even know where to go, everyone else must role-play finding someone to make what you are after... and they tend to be expensive. Still, most characters get into brawls, so assuming you have got hold of weapons you can find out here how much damage they do. Hazards such as poisons follow, then modes of transportation. This section seems a little jumbled and it can be hard to put your hand on the rule you want in the heat of the moment. The chapter rounds off with clothing and footwear, and other everyday items.

Chapter 4: Rules describes the game mechanics in detail, concentrating on combat and on the use of skills for task resolution. In combat, there are various options depending on how deadly you want combat to be, such as allowing an automatic wound BEFORE you roll damage if a 10 is rolled when you make an attack. There are notes on healing (and dying) and the expected amount of detail on how actual combat proceeds. It is a round-based combat system, with order determined by a Speed Skill roll. Each round you may make a single Skill roll and a move action. The Skill is normally whatever attack you wish to make, Defence does not count as an action (as it is a target, not something you have to roll). If you wish, you may forego a Skill roll to take two moves or to add +1 to your Defence. Whilst combat is covered in fair detail, it is not regarded as a major part of a game that is more about interaction: intrigue and investigation however will upon occasion result in a brawl, however, or of course a bout in the arena may feature in your adventures. Gladatorial matches and chariot races are included (a must for all lovers of Ben Hur!), as are environmental hazards and more normal skill use. There's even a mechanism for abstracting Senate votes, for when the matter is not one for which characters want to make speeches, or if it is a background event when characters are engaged elsewhere. There are also notes on modifying the rules to allow for a particular gritty or an heroic, larger-than-life campaign.

The next chapter - Chapter 5: Running Servants of Gaius - is aimed at the game master, and opens with a discussion on alternate history and how to run it effectively. The default alternate history is that Caligula was a just emperor who had to defend against supernatural threats, and the game is designed to accommodate intrigue, exploration and investigation to that end. Naturally, if you want more combat, conquest or lots of arena action, you can include them. One thing that needs to be avoided is allowing too much real-world knowledge of the history of the Roman Empire to affect events in your game. Things may not happen in this reality in the same way, or according to the same timescale, as they did in the real world. Player-characters may alter the course of history, but cannot, should not do so by using their own knowledge of who did what in the real world. Change events as necessary so that avid historians are as baffled as everyone else! There's plenty of advice on melding history and imagination as you manipulate events; as there is some details on how to ease your characters into the campaign - especially if you choose to use the specific supernatural threat presented as their main opposition in your overarching plotline. The focus on investigation and intrigue do require a fair measure of preparation on the GM's part, after all it is hard to investigate something that isn't there! Intrigue works by understanding the people involved and what they are trying to accomplish, so the work for an intrigue-heavy game will be developing an array of NPCs for the characters to interact with. Ideas flow, and plenty more will be spawned, as you read through these notes as they give the GM quite a lot of food for thought. But be warned, this is not something you will be picking up and playing, this game will repay careful planning and preparation. To aid that, this chapter rounds out with a wealth of resources to mine for ideas and flavour alike - drawning on everything from modern fiction, movies and TV series to the writings of eminent Romans like Suetonius and Tacitus (which are available in translation, you do not need to learn Latin!), as well as historical texts and more.

Chapter 6: Servants of Gaius delves in a lot more detail into the core plotline of the characters being recruited to aid Caligula against a specific supernatural threat and is most definitely GM-only material. It introduces the eponymous organisation that the characters will be recruited into, outlining its structure, ways of working and resources. The mechanics of the organisation are such that it is easy for the GM to direct characters to investigate or get involved in whatever it is that he has prepared for them - very neat! There are plenty of ideas for various sorts of missions that you may wish to assign.

Next, Chapter 7: Characters provides you with a ready-made cast of important figures, drawn from history and laid out with full game statistics ready to take their place in your world. It's followed by Chapter 8: Minions of Neptune, which provides an array of ready-made servants of the opposition forces to counter your characters and their fellow Servants of Gaius. A neat element is that, whilst the threat and opposition is real, its precise nature is left to the GM to determine. Is it a foreign power? Or an individual rival for the Imperial throne? Or is it indeed a god seeking to interfere in the realms of man? Or something else entirely? You decide. And of course, they are not enough on their own. Read Chapter 9: Other Threats for everything from the forces of law and order to wild animals, politicians and gladiators to pit against the characters.

Naturally, in Ancient Rome you do not have to contend merely with other people, wild animals and more exotic monsters. Chapter 10: The Gods is a timely reminder of the interfering ways of the deities of the time. The Romans believed that they often took a personal interest in mortals and, as far as this game is concerned, that is indeed the case! Even if you do not care to have them strolling around, religion played a major part in Roman life, so here is all the information you need to run the cults and temples that feature in everyday life in the Empire.

Chapter 11: Caligula's Rome not only gives an overview of the city which may provide a base for your adventures, it also explains the history and casts an eye over what the future may hold (unless your characters act to change it). The game is set to start in 38AD but of course by then Rome had already amassed a considerable history, which the characters - as good Roman citizens - should be aware of. So here is the sweep of history, as well as notes on what life was like in Rome and indeed the rest of the Empire.

This game bodes fair to provide some exceptional entertainment. It combines a love of the period, one I've shared since schooldays, with a light touch that provides fast and unobtrusive gameplay.

A simple and straightforward adventure: the party comes across an old abandoned tower deep in the desert and venture inside to loot it... or is it so simple?

The book starts with the adventure background, detailing how the tower - bored within an obsidian monolith rather than built stone by stone - came to be and telling the story of the deranged yet powerful wizard who made his home and last refuge here. Whilst the nature of the adventure is such that it can be incorporated into any suitable desert journey, several 'hooks' are provided to get the party headed in the right direction if you prefer that approach.

First, of course, they have to get there. Deserts are not safe places to travel in what with the heat, natural hazards and hostile wildlife... and some good advice is provided for running desert journeys which you'll want to hang on to for any time your players take it into their heads to have a desert trip. It's recommended that you use a mix of random encounters as well as the three provided, and that you keep the players interested by keeping time fluid, glossing over the long hours of plodding and highlighting encounters. Do not forget that the environment can be as much of an enemy as any monster - heat, thirst, the weather and the lack of landmarks can all take their toll on even well-prepared parties.

The encounters provided (by the way, there are THREE encounters, don't get confused by two of them being headed 'Encounter Two'!) give a good mix of excitement: with natural hazards, monsters and a nomad tribe to deal with. It's not all combat, interaction and thinking things through also play their part.

Provided the party survives mostly intact, they will eventually arrive at the tower. It may be by chance, or they may be here because of one of the hooks - or even after talking to the nomads during their journey. Here, there's a wealth of information to aid you in running this, the main part of the adventure - including two options that make things decidedly more stressful and potentially deadly for the characters.

The place is full of traps! Now, the background makes it clear why this is so, but it will not be obvious to the party - as some players do not care for lots of traps you may wish to consider if this is the right adventure for them, but you know your group... Many are deadly, so beware. There is loot to be had, so many groups will find it worth the risk.

The tower boasts three levels, and as well as the traps there are plenty of other threats, mostly undead. If run as a one-shot, having a cleric and a rogue in the party will be advantageous. The top level is the lair of the original creator of the dungeon and provides the scene for the climactic battle... one which must be won if the party is to escape alive.

The usual high standard of presentation from AAW is displayed, with copious amounts of information well-organised in colourful blocks that make it clear what's what: read-aloud text, information, trap mechanics, monster notes, skill checks and so on. This makes the adventure very easy to run, although like most some study beforehand would be a benefit. Appendices provide the mechanics for encounters in detail, using both Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 rulesets.

Overall this is a good 'classic' dungeon crawl with lots to do and see, a good challenge for the intended level of party with the focus mostly on trap-solving and combat. An exciting time should be had by all!

What, a new base class that casts spontaneously and looks to dragons for their power? Er, isn't that really a sorcerer? Not quite, as we shall see...

Yes, the dracomancer is a spontaneous caster. But that's about where the similarity to sorcerers ends. Dracomancers are linked closely not just with dragons themselves but with the source of draconic power - that's where their casting abilities come from rather than interesting genealogy, and moreover they take on other aspects of dragonkind as well. They are also able to acquire a dragon companion, who will grow with them as they rise in level.

In places where dracomancers are rare, they are often viewed with suspicion and there are many misconceptions about them. Where their powers are better known, they're often respected members of society and accorded high status.

Scene set, all the game mechanics needed to run a dracomancer up to 20th level are provided. There's an interesting discussion on the payoffs to the dragonic companion: while many choose wyverns or other lesser beasts, some have the company of true dragons who gain significant benefits from the arrangement - it's by no means a one-way street! Some of the dracomancers' special abilities are bound to the type of their draconic companion, and as they rise in level they are able to assume other characteristics of dragonkind - even wings or a breath weapon.

As draconic companions are important, a lot of detail is provided about them, with a wide variety being listed. An added bonus is that they are described in the same manner as dragonrider mounts (see the Genius Guide to the Dragonrider) so can serve thus if required... a bonus 30-odd mounts for dragonriders to consider.

Dragons ought to be an important and integral part of any fantasy game, and here's a way to use them that's fresh and innovative yet in keeping with tradition.

This game bills itself as 'collaborative storytelling' rather than full-blown role-playing, with scope - indeed need - for three players: the classic 'buddy pair' of cops and a third person playing 'The Beat'. This last individual represents the setting and plot and plays everybody else who appears in the game, but is NOT a game master per se. The cop players may choose to be veterans, rookies, rogues or even a K-9, best each chooses a different one (unless you want two veteran cops or possibly two rogues!).

Once roles are decided, you need to determine the setting by deciding which city you're operating in, the name of the unit our cops work for and even a few details about the Chief; as well as determining a criminal organisation and its leadership. That gives The Beat something to work with, whilst the other two players get to grips with their cop characters, again with a series of questions to help you flesh them out. Then they'll need to decide how good they are at various skills necessary to a cop's life: bureaucracy, combat, dialogue, investigation and pursuit. Rank them in order from 1 to 5. There are a few other things as well but every mechanical advantage has to be described in narrative during the game to take effect.

The way that The Beat differs from a classic GM is that, despite devising and running the plot, he shares narration with the two Cop players, rather than them solely talking about what their characters are doing. With use of die rolls and the skills previously determined, they take hold of part of a scene describing the action in its entirety - what they are doing AND what everyone else is doing as well. Interestingly, a key difference between this and classic role-playing is how essential die rolls and game mechanics are to driving the story forwards, rather than merely resolving tasks when someone is attempting something for which the outcome is open to question. The person who takes charge at any point during the game is determined by passing a physical token, the Badge, to them. At certain points - like setting the initial scene - the Badge should be in The Beat's hands, but most of the time it is just passed clockwise around the table so that everyone gets a turn.

There are plenty of examples to show how the different rules can be applied, and if collaborative storytelling and police procedurals are your thing, this is a good vehicle with which to tell a few shared stories.

This adventure presents a straightforward investigation and 'puzzle dungeon' aimed at mid-level (8-10) characters. Set in an arid desert environment, it begins with an encounter where passing nomads save the day, and then invite the party to visit their village.

Everything is well-described and atmospheric, with the scene being well-set by clear details and plenty of those little details that make everything come to life. Naturally, just as the party is getting to know people, something goes wrong during a traditional religious ceremony. Opportunities are presented for them to investigate and to talk to villagers before they are inevitably led towards the dungeon that awaits them... indeed, in many ways this is pretty 'old school' in concept.

The dungeon itself is laid out in considerable detail, and hangs together well (essential if a 'puzzle' dungeon is going to work for the party). The GM is provided with an overview map and more detailed ones of particular areas, whilst a mappack full of battlemaps and further plans is provided with the download to make life easier for those who like to use miniatures or at least show the players what their characters see rather than merely describe it to them. Due to the nature of the dungeon, however, it is suggested that the party be encouraged to map it for themselves.

If the dungeon itself is not confusing enough, there's an ingenious puzzle room buried in its depths which should challenge even seasoned adventurers. When all is explored and the reasons why behind what is going on have been revealed, there are a few options for continuing the plot - or, of course, the party may prefer to take their loot and continue the adventure elsewhere.

Well-presented (although the background is at times a little dark to provide adequate contrast to the text) and well-resourced, the adventure is a little bit linear, and not everybody likes puzzle dungeons - although at leaast this one makes overall sense both in structure and in the rationale for it being there - but ought to provide good entertainment.

This battlemap (presented in the usual multi-page print out and stick together format with no grid, hex grid or square grid plus a massive single JPEG for virtual table top use) shows scattered debris of a suken ship for your party to explore. The accompanying text describes it as being deep but the colourscheme just doesn't work for that, it looks far more shallow. Light tails off pretty quickly when you dive - 10 fold with every 75 m of descent if I recall my training correctly - yet the colours look like no more than a metre or so of water over sand in direct sunlight! If this is a deep wreck the scene needs to be darker and more blue.

The wreck itself is lying on the surface of the sea bed, and is remarkably debris-free although there isn't much left. There are also six sea mines scattered around, so care needs to be taken when moving around the area. A devilish GM could be inventive with underwater currents pushing divers or the mines around even if they are (as shown in the cover illustration) tethered by chains to the seabed.

Useful if your plot involves retrieving something from a wreck or finding out why a ship sunk... lay in a supply of shark miniatures or perhaps a few octopi!

This is a collection of pre-generated characters mostly suitable for use as NPCs in a Glimpse the Beyond game. One or two could be used as player-characters if you need one in a hurry, but most are more suitable to NPC/monster use.

The introductory notes, as well as harbouring a small rant about respect and consent, suggests that these are just a framework, a basis which can be messed around with as much as individual players or the Talespinner (GM) might want before using them.

A standard layout is used. There's a page giving the character's backstory including how their life has been changed by the magical chaos that struck the world, showing both what they did before and what they are doing now. Brief notes about how each character might fit in and what you might want to change (generally mechanics rather than story) are included, and then there's a full-page character sheet ready filled out. There is also a sketch of the character.

It's a useful resource, particularly if you don't enjoy character creation, but the characters themselves - or at least their backstories - are quite limited. Of course, those are open to being changed!

This comprises a very nice and detailed single building suitable for any fantasy city or town, presented in a diversity of ways to make it very usable in your game. There's a single page plan which is numbered and has space for your notes, a multi-sheet version to print out if you want to use miniatures and a large JPG version suitable for use with virtual table tops (or if you can get use of a poster printer).

Although it's not mentioned anywhere, the building appears to be a public bath house. Centred around a large pool area, there are what appear to be steam rooms, a couple of chambers with a smaller pool each, a changing room (complete with communal privy), reception area and a meeting room with a table and chairs. Unless your campaign setting encourages mixed bathing, you'll need to set hours as there are no facilities to provide separate changing (or in an extravagant town, there might be TWO bath houses!).

The notes page is designed for use after you have printed the plan out, unless you are adept enough with PDF technology to add your notes (if you use Acrobat, click on Comments and choose Add Text Comment then type in what you wish to say).

You can imagine all sorts of intrigue going on here, even a literal backstabbing or two... or perhaps it is a place weary and grubby adventurers might go to refresh themselves before celebrating their return in a tavern!

Any Traveller universe, be it the original one (OTU) or an alternate one (ATU) like the Foreven Sector, needs loads and loads of starships. Space travel is mature enough to have lots of vessels out in the black and it beggars belief that they are all built to the same design, so I relish the addition of yet more starships to ply the spacelanes.

This collection includes a variety of craft designed for various purposes and allowing for considerable variation. Each comes with copious flavour text, designed for use in the Foreven Sector ATU but capable of use in any Traveller universe with minimal modification. There are delightful sketches redolant of the original Traveller books, deck plans and various exterior views as well as full specifications.

First up is a luxury yacht or VIP transport, which has a distinct VIP suite as well as space for both crew and the VIP's entourage. You could create a whole campaign around a travelling diplomat or noble and his retinue, have the party running a VIP vessel for hire or run a one-off adventure involving an attack or rescue mission. And that's only the first one!

Next is a specialist mining/survey rig. It's designed for use in an asteroid belt, to search out mineral resources and evaluate them. Designed for long-term deployment, it is roomy and comfortable for the crew of pilot, engineer, geologist and a couple of mining specialists - and even boasts a laboratory for the geologist. It's not big enough to conduct full-scale mining operations on its own, but could be used in conjunction with a shuttle craft such as the Skipjack (described later) and some long-haul cargo containers, also covered in this work. Again, if not running a mining/exploration campaign, you could encounter these craft during a visit to an asteroid belt.

The next craft is an ingenious answer to the question of what to do with old X-boats... mate them to a Vagrant class service hull, of course. This annular structure provides extra space and manoeuvering drives, while the X-boat provides Jump capability. An interesting and versatile concept.

Then there's the aforementioned Skipjack class system shuttle. Intended to be used in-system, it needs a crew of three and has plenty of cargo space. It can skim fuel for its manoeuvre drives and is a good 'workhorse' craft to have buzzing around a busy system. Variants exist that can be used as landing craft, and the large cargo spaces can be reconfigured for carrying personnel. Apparently one has been tricked out as a spacefaring brothel...

If you need additional cargo capacity, a Longhaul class cargo container can be attached to your Skipjack - a relatively simple task, so you can travel around picking them up and dropping them off as needed. Again these can be configured in a range of ways including colony transports, cold sleep personnel, or even as a basic system defence platform with weapons and crew quarters.

Next is a high-performance courier ship, the Kankur class frontier courier. This is another versatile vessel and suitable for the classic Traveller party (yes, it has a smuggler's hold!). There is a military version, an advanced scout craft (with stealth capabilities) and even a luxury transport version - each of these is described complete with deckplans showing how interior layout is changed.

If the luxury version of the Kankur does not meet your needs, try the Astoria class executive transport, which has enough space to carry a large crew to tend to your passengers' every need as well as to fly the ship. They even feature a battery of escape pods should their admittedly powerful defences prove inadequate or other difficulties arise. Apparently they are also good for corporate strike teams, if such operate in your neck of the woods.

Finally, there's the Saliant class patrol frigate, a powerful military heavy escort which can carry a marine unit and is capable of Jump-3 - and packs a heavy punch in its own right. It can land and also has a g-carrier with garage bay. A nice vessel for military/mercenary use.

So, a good range of well-designed and versatile craft, ready for use around your universe.

This work is all about creating new races of intelligent (more or less) creatures for your game. The cover is virtually obscured by 'Compatible with' logos ranging from fantasy to science fiction systems, but never fear if your chosen ruleset isn't there, it is generic enough to be used whatever game system you prefer although those are the ones explicitly supported.

There are two ways to use the book. Either grab a handful of dice and start rolling, see what you come up with, or use the sections as guidelines to drive your thoughts, ensuring that you consider all the aspects that will be useful in creating a species that you'll be able to bring to life in your chosen setting. Or, of course, a combination of both: maybe starting by rolling dice then change the things that don't suit the concept you're forming, or only roll when you don't have a clear idea about a particular aspect. However, bear in mind that it can be fun working out how an oddball species survives and thrives - the randomly-designed ones can be the most interesting! (Bipedal naked mammals, who'd have thunk THEM up?)

The first table covers general species biology while the second one deals with humanoid species biology. The idea here is that the first table can generate anything from animals to sentient races, whilst the second is aimed at creating the sort of 'aliens' that you find in science fiction films, the ones that when all is said and done are human beings with makeup and prosthetic effects on.

Then if you are after a strange-looking race (or rolled for something 'deviant' on whichever of the first two tables you used) there are some weird things you can mix and match into the race you are building. This is followed by a set of notes about different sorts of organisms, which may help you expand on the brief description that you have derived so far for your new species. They are quite broad, and contain several inaccuracies - mostly deliberate ones which are covered in the notes, like lumping dinosaurs in with reptiles. A couple of minor quibbles include the statement that a sense of smell is not much use if you're aquatic - try telling a shark that!

The notes also cover habitat and structure (of the body, that is). Then the discussion moves on to the core of the matter: creating new PC races for your game. This is handled by offering 'kits' for several game systems (13th Age, Dungeon World, Fate Core, Legend, Pathfinder and Traveller) which you use to derive the system-specific information that you need for the race you have just invented. As demonstration, each kit is used on the same basic race, a Turtle-Man from Chelonian Press's Turtle Lords RPG (1983). These kits come with explanatory notes showing you how to make the conversion from the core information generated here into the game system of your choice.

And then there's another set of tables, these ones are to enable you to devise the sort of society in which your new species likes to live. Everything from government types to their values and attitudes, as well as strengths and weaknesses, nature, assets... as well as further tables on the civilisation's past and current situation. Not only does this give you a good overview of what a society is like, it also feeds into the 'Societal Conflict System' that is presented next. This isn't so much about actual warfare as about determining the underlying geopolitical situation. Look at the news. In some part of the world, people are actually fighting each other, in others the diplomatic situation is a bit tense and in some places there is more or less a state of peace... but there are always tensions, allies and nations which do not get along and the like. This is about generating this kind of background situation which may or may not actually impact on your plot, but is part and parcel of the setting in which your game is being played.

Naturally character actions may have an influence: they are the stars of the show! This may be direct - perhaps they are soldiers, spies or diplomats - or incidental... who knows, maybe they created an international (interstellar?) incident without even intending to... and the intention is that the GM should use this system in between game sessions to model what is going on in the rest of the world while the party is off doing its thing. It's a neat concept which should add interesting depth to your game.

Have you ever wanted to swash your buckle, breeze through adventure with wild abandon, living for the moment? Perhaps the new base character class of the bravo is for you.

Presented in the main as if one such bravo had paused for a moment to recount to you the details of his chosen career, no doubt over an ale you have had to buy him, this work presents a coherent and exciting review of all the material you need to know if you want to create and play a bravo character. This includes a lot of the material that is normally covered in more prosaic terms, things like alignment and religion and which classes a bravo character gets on best with, which races do best in this class, and even what the perceived 'role' of a bravo might be. This last involves skill in melee combat and social interactions, with wit and flair - and sheer luck - to get out of tight corners.

Only then do we get down to game mechanics, with progression table, starting wealth, class skill list and - of course - the special abilities that make this class unique. The most interesting one is 'fighting technique' which enables the bravo to develop his own distinctive fighting style. He may have come up with it for himself, or perhaps he has travelled far and wide studying with masters of the sword (or whatever he's decided to specialise in) to blend together something that will become his trademark style. Other abilities are designed to reinforce and expand that style, it all hangs together rather well.

There are a couple of new feats and a whole raft of fighting styles, conjuring up images of a party-full of bravos vying with each other as they develop their personal styles!

Most of us think of a good hunter who is a good fighter as well, at home in the wilderness without being a barbarian... and the more perceptive (or those who've played loads of them) will understand their affinity with nature that can reach magical levels. The introduction to this work discusses the nature and role of the ranger in considerable detail, showing how a ranger not only understands his environment but can become one with it; and this leads in to the system of edges and talents developed for rangers that are the core of this book.

The necessary lists and tables are provided to generate and progress a ranger character. Class skills are modified a little to allow the ranger to choose some that are best suited to the build in mind, and a whole framework of talents and edges is introduced.

The edges are based around the concept of a ranger being drawn towards a specific area of primal force which he will be increasingly able to access as he rises in level. They can be bound in with other things, such as the 'adaptation' edge which allows him to take on some of the characteristics of whichever creature he has chosen as his favoured enemy. A range of combat and other options are also available, it is easy with this system to build a unique ranger who operates with a distinctive style.

The talents are the knacks and knowledge that the ranger has picked up during his life. They may enhance his understanding of the powers that he draws upon or they can relate to what he has learned about surviving in the wild places to which his profession takes him. If all that isn't enough, high-level rangers also have access to advanced talents and even, at 20th level, very powerful grand talents.

There are a couple of appendices. The first details a number of specialised traps that rangers can learn to make and set - you often hear about their ability to set traps but it's good to have more about the actual mechanics of the traps they can make (without having to draw on my own fieldcraft... not every player had a country upbringing!) and the second is rather amusingly called 'Save Vs Wall of Text' and is more of an index or reference, sorting all the abilities covered in the book into thematic categories, making coherent selections easier.

In need of a quick dungeon? Look no further, here are three fully-detailed ones for your party to die in, ahem, I mean, for them to explore.

The core concept is simple. Each one is provided with a floorplan showing where everything is and with details of traps, monsters and treasures to be found there. That's it. You need to provide the reason why the party is there and any plot about the dungeon itself.

The first is 'The Halls of Horror' which has a basic theme of undead and is intended for characters of 2nd-4th level. In the compact style we've come to expect from Pick Up and Go Games, there's a brief descripton of each room to use as read aloud text and a concise listing of appropriate stats for monsters/NPCs to be found therein. The map shows the door types - open, locked, secret, portcullis, archway and so on - and everything is clear and easy to run.

The second dungeon is 'The Sanctum of Shiva the Destroyer' and is designed for characters of 4th-6th level. It's quite a nice place with superior masonry walls and natural floors... well, nice until you meet the denizens, which include wandering monsters as well as those who stay put in their rooms waiting for the party to turn up.

Finally, there's 'The Crypt of Crimson Death' all ready to entertain parties of 9th-11th level. This is nearly all interlocking rooms rather than corridors (there's only a couple of those) and it's rather hot - 120F/48C - so characters are going to have to save to avoid heat exhaustion as well as all the critters and traps they have to contend with.

These are classic old school dungeons. Creatures apparently sit there waiting to snack on passing adventurers, but there's no clue as to what they eat if no one calls by. However, each dungeon hangs together well, there's a good variety of monsters to fight and an interesting array of loot to carry off once you have managed to slay them.

Back in the Old West, an organisation called the Pony Express carried mail through the badlands from community to community. Now in post-apocalyptic times a similar group called the Postal Riders offer the same service - and the party gets asked to help out in the delivery of some 'holy books' in the face of cultist predations.

It's a straightforward road trip adventure with a few running battles and chase scenes, yet it comes over fresh and new with the wealth of detail provided to bring the whole thing to life. For a start, the party has to navigate through wild terrain, even choose the best route. From then on there are ambushes and challenges galore, with each being laid out clearly with just about every option covered, making it easy to run.

There's a completely off-the-wall episode during the journey, harking back to old cartoons. If you are happy with a 'Looney Tunes' element to your game it works well, but needs to be included even if you prefer a more serious approach as it does turn out to provide useful information regarding the party's mission. Perhaps it's just that the post-apocalypic desert sun has turned a cartoon fan so mad that he's been recreating the stories he no longer recalls as cartoons.

The climax contains a real sting in the tail and is very open-ended - so much so that a full SIX conclusions are provided so that you can run the one most appropriate to the party's actions!

Designed as a 'shared campaign' adventure which could run in a convention slot, it also would fit in well with your own campaign provided you can engineer some reason for the party to be in Reno, where the action starts. Once they are there, let the fun begin!

This is an exciting adventure, with some of the overtones of the Wild West as bandits mount raids on trains, with the added pressure of a deadly disease to contend with as well. It's set in northern Cygnar, quite definitely, but should you wish to run it elsewhere there are suggestions for adapting events to other locations within the Iron Kingdoms.

After an overview of what is going on and a summary of the adventure itself, you get to meet the major NPCs involved. Both adventure and characters are wound into the fabric of the Iron Kingdoms and its recent history, making everything spring into coherent life - they're here because of their own reasons, not just because the presence of the party and the requirements of the plot have called them into existence!

Next there is a collection of suggestions as to how you can get the characters involved. The adventure is one which does not require an organised party, so could be used as a campaign starter to get the characters together in the first place, but it works equally well if they have already formed a group. Events open on a train journey, and it is open to you to give the characters plot-related reasons for being there or they may just have the misfortune to have chosen THAT train when all they wanted was to travel from wherever they were to wherever they want to go. It may be a while before they reach their destination in that case!

And we're off! The action is swift and exciting from the outset, although there's time for some scene-setting and 'get to know you' conversation as well, with the other passengers being detailed even if the characters themselves are already acquainted with one another. But just as everyone is lulled into the sense of a dull train journey events begin to unfold...

Plenty of detail and options are offered for the action scenes so you should not be at a loss whatever the party decides to do. From the train, the characters will have to make an overland journey to locate their objective, with two well-defended locations to search and plenty of opportunities for combat. It's not all brawling, though, there are opportunities for other abilities to be brought into play, and of course there's that illness to contend with too, and a good chance that the characters themselves might become infected. There's a good Mexican stand-off and an epic chase scene in there as well, and a climatic showdown.

Action over, there are some suggestions as to how you might develop matters further if you so wish. Finally there are several appendices: on vehicles in the Iron Kingdoms, on chases, on the deadly disease that is central to the plot and lastly full profiles for the antagonists involved.

While quite linear, and in places with things that just happen regardless, it's an exciting adventure that is well worth including in your campaign or running as a one-off.